§1What this business is
Jumbo paper rolls are printed with ruled lines, dried, cut into sheets, and joined with a printed cover. Sets of pages are stapled at the centre and folded to make the notebook. Students are the biggest buyers, followed by offices and shops.
Capacity: 800 notebooks a day, 2,40,000 a year at full capacity; year 1 at 50% = 1,20,000.
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
A stationery trader or printer who can sell to schools, dealers and institutions.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot stock paper ahead of the season.
Advantages
- Demand every school session
- Simple process, local raw material
- Low break-even in the report (28%)
- Can make custom notebooks for schools and companies
Drawbacks
- Sales are seasonal (school opening)
- Paper price changes hit margins
- Strong competition from branded notebooks
- Raw material takes ₹72.00 lakh of ₹92.80 lakh year-1 sales
Skills you need
- Offset printing of ruled sheets and covers
- Paper buying and GSM checks
- Machine maintenance
- School and dealer sales
Why difficulty 3/5: Straightforward process; success depends on seasonal selling and paper buying.
§3Market
Who buys
- Students and schools
- Offices and businesses
- Stationery shops
How it sells
- Stationery wholesalers and dealers
- Direct supply to schools and institutions
Good to know
- The report quotes a global paper-notebook market growth of about 9% (CAGR) over 2020–2024.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Offset printing machine | 1 | ₹3,25,000 |
| Paper sheeter machine | 1 | ₹2,50,000 |
| Paper folding machine | 1 | ₹4,50,000 |
| Paper cutting machine | 1 | ₹1,95,000 |
| Notebook stapling machine | 1 | ₹68,000 |
| Other machines and equipment | lump sum | ₹52,000 |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Notebook Making Unit (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Jumbo paper rollsaverage raw material ₹60–70 per 160-page notebook
- Notebook cover rollsprinted and cut to size
- Staple pins, glue and other material
- Packing material
From: PMEGP sample project report — Notebook Making Unit (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- GST registration
- Udyam registration
- Trademark for your brand name (optional)
- Trade licence from the local body
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
- Stand-Up IndiaCentralClosed₹10 lakh – ₹1 crore loan
PMEGP and CGTMSE fit; Stand-Up India for SC/ST and women founders (loans ₹10 lakh–₹1 crore).
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Report cost of project: building/shed 1,000 sq ft ₹5.00 lakh + plant & machinery ₹13.40 lakh + furniture ₹1.50 lakh + working capital ₹4.44 lakh = ₹24.34 lakh. Finance: term loan ₹17.91 lakh, working capital ₹4.00 lakh, own ₹2.43 lakh.
Working capital: Working capital ₹4.44 lakh (bank limit ₹4.00 lakh); stock of 5 days' raw material and 10 days' finished goods.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: CAPEXIL
- HS codes are from the WCO HS 2022 list; confirm the 8-digit ITC(HS) line with DGFT or your customs broker.
- You need an Import Export Code (IEC) from DGFT before the first shipment.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Paper price rise
- Unsold stock after the season
- Credit to dealers
- Damp spoiling paper
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working notebook making unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (GST registration, Udyam registration), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Notebook Making Unit?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.